Kevin Harvick had led the Sprint Cup Series standings since the third week of the season until the checkered flag dropped Saturday night at Richmond worldwide Raceway. “But that’s a dream”. Yeah, I don’t think so either. “To me, this just reinforces how committed Lowe’s is to our sport and to our partnership”. Joey Logano, 3, 2009 5. As a company, they’ve had some good success in winning races, but it hasn’t been the same auto. And while it would be a shame to see a driver taken out of championship contention by a backmarker driver, it’s also a shame that that backmarker driver has the added pressure of racing for his own position and avoiding disaster with a Chase driver.
Advertisement
Now, you will NEVER hear me say I am an expert at NASCAR. Once again, you can all me insane or loco if you speak Spanish. I still feel like we’ve got some improvement we can do. “That’s just how we’re supposed to be and how this 18 M&M’s Camry is supposed to be every week”. “He’d be happy as a clam”.
The field features 16 drivers – the regular-season points leader, plus the next 15 drivers – as long as they’re in the top 30 in the standings and have attempted to qualify for each race – based on wins and points.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (25-1) is this week’s longshot but one of the better ones of the year.
Kenseth’s season – just like JGR’s – has been somewhat of a surprise after going from those seven victories two years ago to zero in 2014. And when Busch returned, Stevens was fully engaged with a driver of prodigious talent whose input and feedback are invaluable assets to the entire competitive effort.
“I think when I look at certain races this year, I feel like there have been races where I’ve performed very well”, Gordon said.
That there is even talk of an all-Gibbs championship battle at Homestead is simply a testament to the strength the organization has shown throughout the summer.
The format for the Chase will be three rounds of three races, knocking four drivers out of the field after each round. The team’s confidence, as reflected by Busch, is at an all-time high.
The first half was dominated by Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr while Jimmie Johnson led the way with four wins.
As a result of this recent surge, Kenseth is seeded second, behind top seed Jimmie Johnson and (remarkably) ahead of teammate Kyle Busch, the man who began the season on the sidelines, apparently devoid of all hope.
And what about teammate Kurt Busch, victor of the inaugural Chase in 2004? A week earlier, Edwards and Hamlin were first and third, respectively, at Darlington. It’s all about what they do going forward. “With the support of Toyota, Sprint and Chicagoland Speedway, we expect to deliver an engaging fan experience that builds anticipation for the most competitive stretch of our season”.
Brad Keselowski is one of a trio of co-second favorites at 6-to-1 odds, not only because he has nine straight top-10 finishes, but also because he’s won two of the past three Chicago races. The first playoff race comes with this Sunday’s MyAFibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet Illinois, a 1.5 mile track like those that make up the bulk of the 36 race schedule.
“The atmosphere is electric, especially around this first race in the Chase”, Mancuso Meagher said.
“I probably shouldn’t have been playing basketball”, Hamlin said.
“This is where you’ll see the real drivers separated from the pretenders”, Keselowski. It’s just a matter of having the circumstances and things go your way. Otherwise, the bottom four in points are bounced from contention. With the way he’s been running, Busch could steal the show Sunday.
Advertisement
Unlike their counterparts in the Sprint Cup Series, who will fight through 10 races for top spot, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship contenders will get only one chance to claim the ultimate trophy in Canada’s top stock vehicle racing loop, which goes Saturday at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough in the Pinty’s 250.
